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Working Class Issues

THE Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) took the initiative to organise a national convention of scheme workers in Aiwan – e- Ghalib Auditorium in New Delhi on December 10, 2015. This convention was meant to bring together the workers employed in the different schemes of government of India, focus their miserable conditions and develop a country wide movement on the common demands of the scheme workers.

THE Centre of Indian Trade Unions in a statement issued on November 12 has denounced the reckless moves of the Narendra Modi government in liberalising foreign direct investment in numerous sectors of the economy including core and strategic sectors of economy, much to the detriment of national interests. Strategic sectors like defence (49 percent), airlines (49 percent), banking (74 percent for both FDI and FII) and media & broadcasting(100 percent) are being opened up to FDI through automatic approval route.

THE national convention of anganwadi workers and helpers to ‘Save ICDS’ held on November 5 under the banner of the Samyukta Morcha of Anganwadi Employees’ Federations has decided to march to parliament on their long pending demands of regularisation, minimum wages and pension and against the drastic cut in the budget 2015-16 and the handing over of anganwadi centres to corporates. The federations in the Samyukta Morcha are affiliated to the AICCTU, AIUTUC, AITUC, CITU, HMS and INTUC.

THE full secretariat of the CITU met in New Delhi on September 23- 24, to have a preliminary review of the countrywide general strike on September 2, 2015 and formulate future tasks to carry the movement forward. 31 out of the total 35 secretariat members from all over the country attended the meeting. The initial assessment of the central trade unions that the strike was massive and unprecedented was endorsed by the full secretariat of the CITU. It also affirmed that the withdrawal of BMS had no impact on the strike.

FOUNDED on October 3, 1945 at the Paris Congress, the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) is celebrating the glorious 70 years of its foundation. The setting up of the World Federation of Trade Unions was a major victory of the champions of proletarian internationalism and the unity of the international workers’ movement. Right from its very foundation, the new World Trade Union Organisation has been characteristically different from those which had previously existed.

THE meeting of the CITU secretariat held on September 23-24, 2015 at B T Ranadive Bhawan, New Delhi commenced with a note of congratulation to the working class of the country for their mighty response to the call for countrywide general strike on September 2, 2015 given jointly by all the central trade unions of the country against the grievous fallouts of the anti-worker, anti-people policies of the government of India and also of most of the state governments on the life and livelihood of workers, peasants, agricultural workers and people from all walks of life.

THE All India Federation of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers (AIFAWH) has strongly condemned the MOU signed between the ministry of women and child development and Cairn India Ltd, a subsidiary of the Multinational ‘Vedanta’ “to develop and modernise 4000 next generation anganwadis in the country” as per the PIB release.

THE strike by the workers of Kanan Devan Hills Plantations (Tatas) in Munnar has sparked heated discussions. Vested interests widely propagated that the strike was against trade unions. A few monopoly media, as usual, has used this opportunity to castigate the Left politics and Left-affiliated trade unions. Media oraginsations that usually ignore and mock at workers’ agitations were enthusiastic to describe even minute details of the Munnar strike. This is neither due to their love for the working class nor sentiments against the capitalist exploitation of the workers.